Archive for Recipes: Breakfast

I know that I, for one, have at least one member of the household that is deeply unhappy that this day has arrived.

We have spent the last two months footloose and fancy-free, flip-flop clad, jumping (literally) in lakes, exploring other cities and countries and making a game of how few nights we spent sleeping in our own beds at home.

The answer is about 3, and we are wildly proud of that fact.

But reality is now coming crashing down. Michael is starting Grade 9, and I am back teaching as of next Monday. A busy fall schedule awaits us both. *sob*

One more moment of silence as we mourn carefree, sunny summer days that were our own.

Okay. Now that that’s done, let’s turn our focus to the matter at hand: school. I’ve already loaded the freezer up with lots of healthy, quick grab-and-go lunches: homemade vegetarian pizza pockets made with yams, Trader Joe’s vegan chorizo, and beans, and individually-sized containers of Cuban rice and beans that I can quickly heat up in the microwave.

But breakfast. That’s the kicker. I usually resort to smoothies, or I’ll make breakfast cookies or homemade granola bars.

But I also love me some Overnight Oats. You see, the thing is, you can really pack a lot of good stuff into your Overnight Oats.

Like Gojis, for example. I was tickled pink to discover that there is a local farm here in Vancouver that’s growing gojis. Up until now, our only way of getting this superfood was by purchasing them dry (imported from China). I really like the fresh ones, they have a pop of tartness, and did I mention how good they are for you??

This overnight oat recipe can be customized to how you like it. Be sure to make up 3-5 to last you a whole week of healthy, grab-and-go breakfasts.

Overnight Goji Oats

Ingredients (for each individual serving)

250-ml mason jars with lids

2-3 tbsp oats (not instant)

1 tbsp ground, roasted flax

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp vegan protein powder(I like vanilla)

8-12 fresh goji berries

1-2 tbsp dried fruit like cranberries, dates or raisins

2 tbsp yogurt (or non-dairy yogourt if you want to keep it vegan)

2 tbsp non dairy milk

a sprinkle of cinnamon

a tiny pinch of salt

a drizzle of maple syrup

Method:

Place all the dry ingredients in the bottom of the mason jar, and give it a shake to combine.

Now add the wet ingredients and shake/stir well to mix everything together.

Place the lid on and store in the fridge overnight. In the morning, grab and go.

If you like, you can add extras, like nuts/seeds, or blob of peanut butter and jelly.

The problem is, though, that going out to brunch on Mother’s Day is a bit of a circus. You’ll need reservations, and if you try for something more casual, you’ll likely encounter lineups and long waits.

Maybe skip the whole thing all together, and make your mom breakfast in bed?

I love this recipe because you make it the night before, allow it to rise overnight, and then bake it in the morning. It’s totally NBD, but the final product is pretty impressive.

I’ve made these before without the chocolate, but you guys, it’s Mother’s Day. It begs for something special, and in my world, special equals either donuts or chocolate. Or chocolate donuts.

A quick word about vegan chocolate: most chocolate that is 70% or more (dark chocolate) is vegan. It won’t have milk added to it. They can’t legally call it “vegan” because it’s been manufactured in a facility that handles milk, but it won’t have milk in it. Check the label to be sure, but pretty much any dark chocolate won’t have milk in it.

Here, I used Green & Blacks, which is both organic and fair trade, a British brand I’ve personally loved a long time.

Okay! On with the recipe, we have a mother to impress!

Vegan Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

(makes one round 8″ cake tin, double for two)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan milk (I used homemade cashew)

3 tbsp aquafaba

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp melted vegan butter

1/2 tsp yeast

2 tbsp–1/4 cup melted vegan butter

3-4 tbsp brown sugar

1-2 tsp cinnamon

1 85% dark Green & Blacks Chocolate bar, chopped

Method

I make mine in the bread maker. Fire all the ingredients into your breadmaker in the order listed, then select the dough setting. If you don’t have a bread maker, place all the wet ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and use the paddle attachment. Mix the wet ingredients together well. Switch to the dough hook, and first add the sugar, then the yeast, and then slowly, in batches, the flour until it’s all incorporated. Add the salt last. The dough is done when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should not be shaggy. If it is, dump it onto the counter, sprinkle with a little flour, and knead some more, continuing to sprinkle with flour and knead until it is smooth and elastic.

Place in a large bowl in a warm spot and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rise for about and hour or 90 minutes.

Dump the dough onto your counter (flouring if needed) and punch it down. Begin to roll it out into a rectangle, about 1/2″ thick.

Brush the surface with melted vegan butter, then sprinkle over a fine layer of cinnamon. Follow that with a thicker layer of brown sugar, and finally, sprinkle over the chopped chocolate.

Roll the dough up, jelly-roll style. Cut it in half, then each half in half, and each of those halves in half, to give you 8 pieces. Place in a greased, 8″ cake pan, cover with a wet towel, and allow to rise in a warm spot overnight.

In the morning, preheat your oven to 375, and bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden on top. Serve warm.

Hi, I’m Bex!

I’m a Social Media, Food & Travel Blogger, a caffeine-fueled shenanigan-seeker. Mom to Michael, the world’s greatest teenager, and a food critic in training. When I’m not Instagramming my experiments in the kitchen, you’ll find me riding my bike on the Seawall, or taking photos. My cookbook, “Aquafabulous!: 100+ Egg-Free Vegan Recipes Using Aquafaba” is available in stores and online. Welcome to my culinary adventures!